Method for recovering carotene, fiber, and serum from vegetable material



March 20, 1956 H, BARNETT 2,739,145

METHOD FOR RECOVERING CAROTENE, FIBER AND SERUM FROM VEGETABLE MATERIAL Filed Jan. 7, 1952 Carrots Serum /30 Grinder I3 Hem Curofene 3-. Exchcfznger Coagulation Couguhm y 8 32 I Vessel 3| 35 Screen Surplus Serum INVENTOR HAROLD M. BARNETT ATTORNEY 2,739,145 METHOD FOR RECOVERING CAROTENE, FIBER,

This inventionrelates to an improved method for separating carotenefrom pulverized carrots and the'like and for recovering carotene serum. I

One object of the-invention is to provide a method for the economical separation of carotene, carrot serum and carrot fiber fromp'ulverized carrots. Another object is tcdsws Pat nt i to provide an improved method for? coagulating the carotene separated from carrot pulp. Another object is to provide a method for recovering carrot serum.

It has heretofore been found that the carotene content of thoroughly pulped fresh vegetables such as carrots, sweet potatoes and other carotene containing materials may be substantially completely removed by hydraulically separating the carotene containing particles (which are microscopic in size) from the fiber, and then subsequently recovering the carotene-containing particles by coagulating them and skimming the coagulum from the liquid medium". As heretofore practiced, this process has required the use of relatively large volumes of water compared to the volume of liquid or serumderived from the carrots, so that torecover the carrot serum or 'the r ninerals and sugar materials which occur" in said serum, it has been necessary to concentrate; the much diluted serum by the evaporation of large amounts of water. This is'not always an economical procedure. lnithe Old art it has been the practice, a1'so, to use a'coagulant such as a mineral acid or salt to eflect a change in the physical form of the carotene-protein particles so that they would become filterable. This resulted in the additionof undesired mineral salts or acids to the liquid, and this addition so altered the character of the resulting serum liquid that r it had little value as a waste 'food product. The carotene as-combined'with or associated in the vegetables with proteih particles and oil is also included.

I have now discovered that the natural serum of carrots contains a coagulating agent of unknown chemical constitution which maybeutilizd for coagula'ting the separated or coagulated carotene-protein particles. By changing the liquid medium used for physically washing out or separating the carotene-containing particles from the carrot fiber, from water to carrot serum, the washed out carotene-containing particles may be coagulated without the addition of extraneous coagulating agents such as magnesium salts or acids, which have heretofore been used.

My process, as applied to carotene will be understood amount of carrot serum which is returned from subsequent points in the process diagram as will be explained. This is necessary in order to get a slurry of pulverized 2,739,145 Patented Mar. 20, 1956 2 is located at a position slightly above the' enlarged upper portion 12 ofthe'separato'r. Clear serum derived in a later part of the process, is introduced through the inlet pipe 18 of the separator at a pointintermediate the inlet pipe 16 and the discharge opening 14. The pulp inlet pipe 16 is preferably extended into the axis of the cylindrical separator, and thedistributing bafile 201s arranged over the outletof this pipe to avoid the creation of excessive turbulence in the rising column of liquid. In the same manner the clear liquid or serum inlet pipe 18 extends to the axis of the cylindrical'tank 11, and a battle 22 is providedover the outlet ,23: of said pipe 18. An overflow pipe 13 is provided near the top' of the separator. the clear serum through the serum inlet pipe 18,.the fibers will fall andTbe 'discharged at a' regulated rate through the fiber discharge opening 14, and thecarotene particles are prevented from falling by the rising current of liquid, because of the slight difference, in thespecific gravity of the fiber and the particles of carotenerprotein. The carotene-protein particles are removed from the top of the vessel through the overflow pipe 13 along with a small portion of the liquid, which is carrot serum.

Alternatively, the carotene-protein particles maybe washed out of the fibers, as' described in my U. S. Patent No. Re. 22,629,'using carrot serum as the liquid medium instead of water as described in said patent. The separated carotene-protein particles with a relatively small part of the original serum as the liquid medium may be then further concentrated by coagula- 'tion, for example as described in my co-pending applicacarrots which will flow in pipes, and thereby facilitate the handling of the pulverized material. The ground pulp is continuously fed to a pulp separator 11 which is shown as the continuous overflow separator described in my co-pending application, Ser. No. 253,737, filed October 29, 1951, now abandoned. In this separator the ground carrot pulp is introduced through the inlet pipe 16 which tion' Ser. No. 265,322, filed January '7, 1952,now abandoned. In general this process consists of introducing live steam into the suspension of carotene-protein particles suspendedin serum. The naturally occuring coagulating agent which exists in the carrotserum causes the carotene particles to be coagulatedupon the introduction of heat in the fonn of steam and thecarotene coagulum (concentrated to about 1 to 50 parts byv weight of fresh carrots is skimmed ofi t fi top-of the vessel, whilethehot serum, free from carotene, is returned (preferably through theheat exchanger 32 to a'serum storage tank 35.

The serum is withdrawn, as required fromithe serum tank 35 for separatingou't the carotene, from the carotene pulp as well as for-introduction in'small amounts into the grinder 30 to aid in the liquificatio'n of the carrot pulp, as previously described. The excess serum can be with,- drawn, and if desired, concentrated by evaporation, or it may be used without concentration inyarious culturing operation as a biotic medium. p

Alternatively, the carotene-protein particles suspended in water or serum, or a mixture thereof, may be coagulated in batches as described in my U. S. Patent Re.

The carrot serum, when evaporated by pan methods well known in the syrup industry, provides a unique product known as carrot syrup, which contains valuable nutritional factors including invert sugar, minerals and enzymes.

The carrot fiber, with adhering serum, may be used in feeds or it may be refined and used as fine cellulose-fiber.

The advantages of my invention will be apparent. By its use, substantially no extraneous aqueous liquid is added in hydraulically separating carotene from carrot pulp and from carrot serum. No extraneous coagulating agents are added and as a result, carrot serum either in dilute or concentrated serum form may be recovered along with the valuable carotene coagulum and the carrot pulp. Fresh carrots are separated into three constitutent parts, carotene-protein coagulum, carrot serum, and carrot pulp, each of which is a valuable product,

By' regulating the rate of introduction of Iclaim:

l. The process of separating carotene-protein particles from fresh carotene-containing vegetable material com prising the steps of mechanically pulping said vegetable material in the presence of more than the normally occurring serum in said material to produce a slurry of carotene-protein particles, vegetable fibes, and vegetable serum, hydraulically separating said carotene-protein particles suspended in a portion of said vegetable serum from said vegetable fibers suspended in the remainder of said vegetable serum, and then separating said serum from the carotene-protein particles.

2. The process of separating carotene-protein particles from fresh carotene-containing vegetable material comprising the steps of mechanically pulping said vegetable material in the presence of more than the normally occurring serum in said material to produce a slurry of carotene-protein particles, vegetable fibers, and vegetable serum, hydraulically separatingsaid carotene-protein particles suspended in a portion of said vegetable serum from said vegetable fibers suspendedin the remainder of said vegetable serum, heating said suspension of carotene-protein particles in said vegetable serum without addition of water or extraneous coagulating agents to coagulate said carotene-protein particles, and then separating out said coagulated particles.

3. The process of separating carotene-protein particles from fresh carotenecontaining vegetable material comprising the steps of mechanically pulping said vegeta le material in the presence of more than the normally occurring serum in said material to produce a slurry of caroteneprotein particles, vegetable fibers, and vegetable serum, hydraulically separating said carotene-protein particles suspended in a portion of said vegetable serum from said vegetable fibers suspended in the remainder ofsaid vege- 5 table serum, and then separating said serum from the fibers.

4. The process of separating carotene-protein particles from fresh carotene-containing vegetable material comprising the steps of mechanically pulping said vegetable material in the presence of more than the normally occurring serum in said material to produce a slurry of carotene-protein particles, vegetable serum, hydraulically separating said carotene-protein particles suspended in a portion of said vegetable serum from said vegetable fibers suspended in the remainder of said vegetable serum, heating said suspension of carotene-protein particles in said vegetable serum without addition of water or extraneous coagulating agents to coagulate said carotene-protein particles, separating out said coagulated particles, and screening out said vegetable fibers from said vegetable serum.

5. The process of separating carotene-protein particles from fresh carotene-containing vegetable material com prising the steps of mechanically pulping said vegetable material in the presence of more than the normally occurring serum in said material to produce a slurry of carotene-protein particles, vegetablefiber s, and vegetable serum, continuously hydraulically separating said carotene-protein particles suspended in a portion of said vegetable serum from said vegetable fibers suspended in the remainder of said vegetable serum, continuously separating said serum from the fibers, and continuously separating said serum from the carotene-protein particles.

6. The process of claim 5 in which said slurry of fresh vegetable material is diluted with a portion of vegetable serum recovered from the separation steps for said fibers and said carotene-protein particles.

7. The process of claim l'in which the fresh vegetable material is carrots.

8. The process of claim 2 in which the fresh vegetable material is carrots.

9. The process of claim 3 in which the fresh vegetable material is carrots. I

10. The process of claim 4 in which the-fresh vegetable material is carrots.

11. The process of claim 5 in which the fresh vegetable material is carrots.

12. The process ofclairn 6in which the fresh vegetable material is carrots.

13. A method for continuous removal of carotene particles from a suspension of pulped vegetable material containing carotene particles suspended in vegetable serum comprising the steps of laterally introducing a stream of pulped vegetable suspended in an aqueous medium into a uniformly rising column of aqueous medium including vegetable serum, the velocity of upward flow of said medium being great enough to carry the particles of carotene upwardly but not great enough to overcome the settling of the vegetable fibers, removing said settled out fibers, and removing the fioated carotene particles.

14. A method for continuous removal of carotene particles from a suspension of pulped carrots suspended in aqueous-carrot serum comprisingthe steps of laterally introducing a stream of pulped carrots .into a uniformly rising column of aqueous liquid including recirculated carrot serum, the velocity of upward fiow of said serum being great enough to carry the particles of carotene upwardly but not great enough to overcome the settling of the vegetable fibers, removing said settled out fibers, and removing the floated carotene particles.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Barnett Apr. 17, 1945 Berkman et al Sept. ll, 1951 

1. THE PROCESS OF SEPARATING CAROTENE-PROTEIN PARTICLES FROM FRESH CAROTENE-CONTAINING VEGETABLE MATERIAL COMPRISING THE STEPS OF MECHANICALLY PULPING SAID VEGETABLE MATERIAL IN THE PRESENCE OF MORE THAN THE NORMALLY OCCURRING SERUM IN SAID MATERIAL TO. PRODUCE A SLURRY OF CAROTENE-PROTEIN PARTICLES, VEGETABLE FIBES, AND VEGETABLE SERUM, HYDRAULICALLY SEPARATING SAID CAROTENE-PROTEIN PARTICLES SUSPENDED IN A PORTION OF SAID VEGETABLE SERUM FROM SAID VEGETABLE FIBERS SUPSENDED IN THE REMAINDER OF SAID VEGETABLE SERUM, AND THEN SEPARATING SAID SERUM FROM THE CAROTENE-PROTEIN PARTICLES. 